Summer. The perfect time to grill out, eat fresh fruit, swim, and make soup! Yep, make soup. I know that it's hot outside and soup is probably not on your list of top meals to prepare, BUT I would consider this one. This soup is very refreshing and light. It doesn't hit your stomach hard like a very saucy chili can. It is also so quick to throw together, giving you more time to spend outside with family. We tried this out last night and loved it! Embrace the chili, you know you want to!

DirectionsHeat olive oil in a large pot (large enough to fit the whole recipe) over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook for about 2 minutes, or until they start to become translucent.

While the onions are cooking, drain the beans and rinse with cold water; set aside. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Add the garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. If using precooked chicken, simply combine garlic and chicken and let cook for one minute.

Add green chilies along with all the juices in the can. Add the beans, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Stir to combine and then add the chicken broth. (I decided to leave out the green chilies because I am not a fan of spice, and it still turned out delicious!)

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the juice from one lime and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Trying new foods has not always been the easiest for me. I tend to make hasty decisions when it comes to the likability of a food. "Ohhhh that has way too much cheese, no point in trying it" or "That smells way too spicy, there's no way I can handle that". Yep, these are real thoughts that frequently enter my mind when it comes to trying food. My poor mother was a saint for putting up with my pickiness as a kid (and teenager, let's be honest). Being married to Jordan the last three years has pushed me out of my comfort zone when it comes to food because he loves everything!! He hasn't turned down anything since I have known him, it is amazing. Because of him, I find myself giving certain foods a chance before immediately placing them on my "DO NOT LIKE" list.

Last night Jordan and I went to an authentic street food Italian restaurant and before I knew it I was grabbing his piada (it's like an italian wrap) out of his hand to take a bite of it! Sure, I didn't love how spicy it was, but I have to admit it tasted great! Sometimes I surprise myself. Maybe it's the pregnancy changing my taste buds or something!

Jordan's mom found the recipe to this zucchini and ricotta galette and he has been begging me to make it. I won't lie, it took me a while to make it because of my own hesitance towards the two main ingredients: cheese and zucchini. I persevered and had a lot of fun making this galette! Filled with three types of cheese and zucchini, surrounded by a flaky crust, this galette is definitely a unique treat that you need to try! And YES I tried it as well! Jordan was quite proud. Enjoy!

Make dough by whisking together the flour and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the pieces of butter no larger than the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, lemon juice, and water. Add to the butter-flour mixture and with fingertips or wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Gently pat the lumps into a ball, making sure to not overwork the dough! Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Thirty minutes into refrigerating the dough, slice the zucchinis and spread out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let drain for 30 minutes. When it is time to use the zucchinis, blot the tops dry with a paper towel.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and garlic, set aside.

In another bowl, mix the ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the dough, leaving a two-inch border. Place the zucchini in concentric circles starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is puffed and the galette is golden brown! Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot. Enjoy!

Wow... it has been a long time since I have posted! So much has been going on: getting pregnant (we're having a baby boy!), moving across the country, new jobs, etc... All of these changes have led to a busy past few months. Now that we are all settled in our new home, I am excited to get back to sharing delicious recipes with ya'll!

Here in Ohio, strawberry picking has just begun. This pregnancy has me craving fresh fruit constantly, which I'm definitely not complaining about, so I am excited for the summer fruit picking to begin! Going strawberry picking as kids was always so much fun, although I'm sure we weren't actually the most productive helpers. We probably ate more strawberries than we picked!

In honor of strawberry season beginning here, I decided to make strawberry scones. These scones are a little piece of heaven, and you will probably, no definitely, end up eating more than just one. Jordan and I polished off all eight of these in two days, and that was with some serious efforts to control ourselves and save some for later! Enjoy!​Thank you to Erica, my wonderful sister-in-law, for sharing this recipe with me from themerchantbaker.com.

Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly and you have butter chunks no larger than peas in your mixture.

Add in the chopped strawberries and lightly toss in the flour mixture until berries are coated.

In a glass measuring cup, crack the egg and then add heavy cream until you reach 3/4 cup. Mix with a fork until well blended.

In the center of the flour mixture, make and well and pour in the egg/cream mixture. Distribute the mixture with a fork until it all begins to hold together a bit. Try to avoid crushing the strawberries as best as you can!

Once the dough has come together, lightly flour your surface, and pat into a large square or circle, about 1 inch thick.

If your dough has gotten too soft from handling, put the bowl of dough back in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes.

Once you have pat down dough into the shape you want, use a floured sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles or your desired scone shape. Then, leaving 1-2 inches of space between each scone, place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Brush the tops of unbaked scones with additional cream.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet to let them set up. Then remove and let them finish cooling on a rack.

While scones finish cooling, make icing. Whisk together vanilla, sugar, and add cream a tablespoon at a time until it is thick, but spreadable.

Drizzle icing over cooled scones. Enjoy!!

*Store at room temperature, covered. I put mine in a plastic bag. You can also wrap in foil if you'd like!*

You know those crazy people that set up their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving has even began? Well I hate to admit it, but I'm one of them! There is just something about having a Christmas tree in your home that makes it feel so much more comfortable and cozy. As Jordan and I decorated our home for the holidays, we talked a lot about what traditions we want to continue within our own family. Our Christmas traditions growing up are a little bit different than each other's, so it has been fun getting to pick and choose which ones we want to keep for our own family over the years. Jordan decided to opt out of the "wake up at 4am and look at our presents for two hours" tradition that my siblings and I grew up with. My heart was slightly broken when we decided no on that one... ok maybe not. I'm an adult now, I like my sleep!

Along with picking and choosing different Christmas traditions from our own childhood, we thought it would be fun to start a couple brand new traditions in our own family. One that we have been consistent with the past three years is baking ginger snaps and taking them to our friends and family! We love ginger snaps and feel like they really welcome in the holidays.

So here is our favorite ginger snap recipe! I love it so much I want you to all have it. Make sure and switch out the classic sugar cookies for Santa this year with these ginger snaps. He just may leave you an extra gift!

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl. Mix dry ingredients in another. Combine.Shape dough into small balls. Place on cookie sheet. Press down on the cookies a little and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes and enjoy!

The summer of 2012 I went to Italy with my college roommates. I will never forget my experiences walking down the old, cobblestone streets. Each alleyway led you somewhere new and gave you an intimate look into the simple life of an Italian. Whether it was gazing upon Roman ruins, chatting with locals, eating gelato, buying fresh produce from the markets, or eating in quaint family-owned restaurants, my fondness for Italy grew with every turn we took. It was a trip of a lifetime. Since then my love for Italian culture and food has never died.

Now that I am married, my husband has joined me in this passion of Italian food, especially Neapolitan pizzas. After several consecutive date nights to Settebello's, our favorite authentic Italian restaurant in Salt Lake, Jordan decided it was time for us to learn how to make the pizzas for ourselves at home.

We set out on a mission to learn how to make these pizzas the true Italian way. We would go to Settebello's and request to sit at the bar so that we could watch the chefs make the pizzas. We took notes of their technique and even secretly filmed them :) It didn't take long before we realized that making these pizzas at home was going to be a lot harder than we thought since we were missing one key element: the 1000 degree wood-burning pizza oven!

Months later, after much trial and error, we have finally come up with what we think is the best recipe and method for at-home ovens--and it's pretty darn true to taste! Some parts may sound complicated but truly anybody can make these. This is a recipe you will want to keep forever. Creating these pizzas together have become our favorite date night activity, and we hope that sharing this recipe will create fun memories for you and your friends and families as well.

At this point I am going to hand over the computer to my husband Jordan to explain the process. He has worked really hard to perfect this recipe and has become the Pizza Master in our home. I usually just step aside and let him transform our little kitchen into a pizzeria on these nights. It's fun to watch!

**Type 00 flour is a type of extremely fine Italian flour. It is a MUST for this recipe, and possibly the most important ingredient to achieve the authentic italian pizza dough texture and flavor. We order ours from Amazon. There are many brands that will work wonderfully. We buy the Antimo Caputo Tipo "00" that comes in 1 kg bags and we have loved it. To make sure that you are using the precise amount of flour necessary, I HIGHLY recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour instead of using measuring cups, which tend to compact the flour and cause you to add too much.

1.) In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the "type 00" flour, salt, yeast, and sugar. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Add the warm water and knead on low speed until the mixture comes together and no dry flour remains (about 5 minutes). Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Knead on low speed for an additional 5 minutes with the dough hook, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes until the dough comes together in a very smooth, soft ball that barely sticks to the surface of the table. (You may need to add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time if it is too sticky to get the right water-flour ratio). Put the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. (You can also keep the dough in the refrigerator longer for up to 72 hours). This refrigeration process gives the dough a much richer flavor. I have tried making the pizzas skipping the refrigeration step many times and it will still work, but is never quite the same.

2.) Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer to a flour work surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes to warm it up and soften it. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 4-5 equally sized pieces such that each piece is 6-8 oz in weight. With floured hands, shape each piece into a clean ball shape by gathering the dough towards the bottom. Wipe the insides of 4-5 small bowls (deep cereal bowls work great for this) with extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking, and add one dough ball to each bowl. Cover all the bowls with a damp towel and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours until they double in size.

3.) While the dough is rising, open the can of diced tomatoes and drain thoroughly. Transfer the diced tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Blend until the tomatoes come together in a sauce, but do not overblend to a frothy puree. You want the sauce to have some chunky texture to it. Add fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste. I usually add some finely chopped fresh basil leaves to the sauce, but you could also use dried basil from your spice rack. Transfer sauce to a bowl and set aside. With your hands, break apart the fresh mozzarella into medium sized pieces. I usually like my mozzarella pieces pretty big--see the picture above. The idea is not to cover the entire pizza in shredded cheese like an American pizza, but instead have a handful of large cheese pieces that melt into separate "pools" of cheese as I like to call them :) Allow the cheese pieces to dry of excess water on a paper towel for about 10 minutes--you may need to dab them dry.

4.) Turn your oven up as high as it will go (ours gets to about 500 degrees) and allow the pizza stone to warm up with the oven on the middle rack. Allow the oven and stone to heat for about 30 minutes to reach their maximum temperature. With floured hands, remove 1 dough ball and place on a well-floured surface. You are now going to shape the pizza dough. At this point I believe any technique you choose will work, so long as the dough is spread to about 12-14 inches in diameter and roughly 1/8 of an inch thick, typically thinner in the middle and very slightly thicker at the edges. We use both our hands and a rolling pin to achieve this. To help stretch the dough, many pizzerias will let half of the dough hang over the edge of your work table and rotate the dough to allow gravity to pull the dough and stretch it. Don't worry if your dough is not shaped into a perfect circle. Sometimes the unique shape makes it more authentic and gives it more character!

5.) Before cooking the pizza, make sure you have all your desired toppings close by your oven. For an original margherita you will use sauce (or thin tomato slices), mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. If you are looking for a little more than a margherita we like to add shreds of prosciutto and pine nuts as well. Once you have your pizza dough ready, make sure it is well floured and pull the dough carefully onto a floured pizza paddle. Carefully transfer to the pizza stone in your oven and start a timer for 1 minute. The purpose of this first oven exposure is to cook the bottom of your dough until it is very lightly browned and holds its shape. Remove the dough after 1 minute. Immediately turn your oven to broiler to allow it to heat while you add the toppings. Keeping your pizza on your pizza paddle and, working quickly, apply a few spoonfuls of sauce and spread, leaving the outer 1-inch sauce-free. Apply toppings. Drizzle lightly with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and throw on 4 or 5 basil leaves. Return to the oven, this time to cook the top of the pizza with the broiler. This process may vary depending on the heat of your broiler, but it usually takes about 4-5 minutes for us. Cook until the cheese is melted and you get darkly charred spots on the crust of your dough. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and serve immediately. To cook the remaining pizzas, return your oven to normal bake at its highest temperature and repeat steps 4 and 5.

After much delay, Fall has finally started to show itself here in Utah. The leaves are changing all around our apartment building and I now have to put a jacket on every morning as I head to work! As much as I am going to miss the warmth of summer (I really hate the cold), I am excited for boots, sweaters, and pumpkin flavored treats! My mother-in-law emailed me this recipe and thought I would like to try it. I immediately wanted to make it because I love pumpkin and I love cinnamon rolls! To me it seemed like the perfect combination.

The person that we got the recipe from put her cinnamon rolls in muffin tins and I thought that was a cool idea! It worked for the most part (some of them unraveled in the process), but I think next time I will just put them in a normal pan side-by-side just because they are easier to remove and clean up. It was fun to try though! These pumpkin cinnamon rolls won't let you down, they are quite delicious! Enjoy!

In a small bowl, add the yeast to lukewarm milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix together the flour, pumpkin, butter, sugars, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and milk mixture at medium low speed until a round dough forms. Continue kneading by hand or with the hook attachment until dough is smooth and evenly mixed. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a towel for 1 hour, or until double in size.

Sprinkle flour over clean surface and roll dough into a rectangle until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Next spread the softened butter evenly across the dough. Then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over it. Cut the dough into 12 strips, each about 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide, with a pizza cutter.

Roll each strip into a roll. Place each roll into a muffin tin or into a pan side by side. Both tin and pan need to be well greased. Cover again with clean towel and allow to rise about 30 minutes to an hour, until rolls are puffy.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove towel and bake rolls for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool.

While allowing the rolls to cool, whisk together ingredients for maple glaze. Drizzle on top of cinnamon rolls and serve. Enjoy!

I have just been in a baking mood lately, and I think I have found a recipe that ya'll are going to like... Chocolate chip cookies! I think we can all agree that most people love a warm, chocolate chip cookie. The thing I love about these cookies is that they have a few extra twists: dark chocolate chunks and sea salt. Yep, they are delicious. You're already starting to drool, I just know it!

I set out to find the best chocolate chip recipe out there and after googling and looking all over Pinterest (yes, Pinterest) I believe I have found it! Or at least have come really close. I got this recipe from the New York Times, and if the New York Times believes it is the #1 Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, then I figured I better give it a try and see what all the fuss was about!

I have a brother-in-law who is a dessert/sweets connoisseur. When he told me that these cookies were AMAZING I knew that I found a good recipe. I made them and specifically had him try one because I knew he would tell me the truth about what he thought, good or bad. Luckily, he agreed with me that these cookies are delicious. I have never made chocolate chip cookies that were seriously so fluffy before. I've decided that this is going to be my go-to chocolate chip recipe from now on, and I hope it is for you too. Enjoy! Let me know what you think :)

Sift flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl. Set aside.

In your kitchenaid with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Once mixed, add one egg at a time, mixing well after each egg is added. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Add chocolate chunks and try not to break them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours (yes I know it is hard to wait that long, but you can do it! It's worth the wait!)

After 24 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out dough and roll into balls, a little bit smaller than a golf ball. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Enjoy!

It is officially fall which means new fruits are in season! Although I am terribly sad that peach season is over, I am excited to embrace new recipes for apples and pears. I'll be honest and say that I have never cooked anything with pears before. I usually just eat them as they are or I dice them and mix them in with pomegranate (super yummy snack by the way!). I bought some pears the other day and Jordan and I have been trying to eat them fast because they turned ripe so quickly. For fear of not being able to eat them all in time (thank you Costco) I decided to try out a new recipe today!

​I found this recipe on Williams-Sonoma's website and decided to try it because it looked so simple and delicious. Next time you're wanting to spice up your breakfast, try out this recipe! You won't regret it. Enjoy!

Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the pears and brown sugar and cook until slightly crisp/tender for about four to five minutes, turning as needed. Sprinkle evenly with lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Once evenly combined, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and swirl around in pan until pan is coated with butter, including the sides.

Whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Combine salt and flour in another small bowl and sift over egg mixture. Whisk until blended. Pour the batter over the hot fruit and bake until golden and puffed, 20-25 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve for breakfast or dessert! Enjoy!

Every fall during apple season my husband's family makes one of their favorite recipes which is apple cake. I had never tried this cake until now and man it is so delicious! They really know how to find good recipes. This cake is very easy to put together and can be made with or without nuts. I love pecans so I decided to put pecans in mine, but walnuts are a good choice as well. I hope this recipe becomes a new favorite of yours like it is for the Lamb family!

Chicken Tortilla soup everybody. The first soup I have actually enjoyed eating and continue to enjoy! I was sick with some sort of flu bug earlier this week and in my time of absolute misery, nausea, and complete lack of energy, I forced myself to cook regardless of how much I didn't want to. Whenever I am sick Jordan always encourages me to eat no matter how hesitant I am about putting food in my stomach because he says it will make me feel better, and it always does! Seeing as this soup is so quick to prepare, this was my go to for helping me get back on track. I have a feeling that this soup is going to become a staple meal in y'alls homes, it's that delicious and simple to prepare! Enjoy!

Directions​Combine all ingredients in a large pot. (I usually just shred the chicken inside of the cans to make cleanup easier) Bring to a boil, lower heat, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Top with cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips!

**I actually make my own tortilla strips and it is super easy! Cut corn tortillas into strips and fry for 3 minutes on medium high, or until crispy. Enjoy!**

Mmm belgian waffles. Don't worry, we aren't talking about the type of belgian waffles that you get at a hotel buffet...We are talking about true Belgian liege waffles! These waffles are special. Why you ask? Because they use a special type of sugar and are a lot more dense, in the best way of course, than a normal fluffy waffle. Jordan and I first discovered liege waffles a few years ago at this little restaurant in Utah called Waffle Love. Waffle Love introduced us to the magic that is liege waffles and we loved them so much that we set out to make our own! We researched, bought pearl sugar online, and tried multiple recipes that claimed to be the real deal. After several attempts at these waffles, we finally found a recipe that we feel is the closest to true liege waffles!

Seeing as it was General Conference this past weekend, Jordan and I have a tradition of making these waffles every Sunday morning for conference. We have done it the past two years and always look forward to it! These waffles do take some time and effort the day before you make them, but it is completely worth it, and if you're like me it makes them taste so much better (although I don't know if that's possible)! Enjoy!

Directions1. Place yeast, milk, and water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Give it a quick stir to moisten the yeast.

2. Add the egg and 2/3 of a cup of the flour. Mix to blend. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

3. Next, sprinkle the remaining 1 and 1/3 cups of flour over the mixture, but DO NOT stir it in. Cover and let stand 75-90 minutes. Once the time if over, you will see that the batter has started to bubble up through the flour.

4. Add the brown sugar and salt to the workbowl with the other ingredients. Mix on low speed to blend.

5. With machine on low, add honey and vanilla. Then add 2 Tbsp. of room temperature butter at a time. Mix 4 minutes at medium-low speed; scrape down sides once or twice in that period. Let the dough rest for 1 minute and then continue to mix for 2 minutes. If you measured your ingredients perfectly, the dough will be sticking to the sides of the bowl in the last minute of mixing and then, in the last 30 seconds of so, will start to ball-up on the paddle. If this does not happen, let the dough rest for 1 more minute and mix for another 2 minutes. This should yield a slightly sticky dough.

6. Scrape the dough into a large bowl, sprinkle lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 4 hours. This is where all of the yummy flavor develops :)

7. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before moving on the #8. This is an important step that you don't want to skip! It slows down the yeast.

8. Gently deflate the gases from the dough, by pressing on it with a rubber spatula and scrape it onto a piece of plastic wrap, and then use the spatula to press the dough into a long rectangle. Fold that rectangle over on itself (by thirds – like a letter) so that you have a square of dough. Wrap it in plastic, weigh it down a bit (I put two heavy dinner plates on top of it) and refrigerate OVERNIGHT.

9. The next day, place the cold dough (it will be quite firm) in a large bowl and add all of the pearl sugar to a bowl. It will seem like a lot of sugar, but it’s supposed to be :) Mix it into the dough by hand until the chunks are evenly distributed. Once mixed, divide the dough into 5 pieces of equal size.

10. Shape each chunk into an oval ball (like a football without the pointy ends) and let it rise (covered loosely in plastic wrap) for 90 minutes. If you accidently skip this step, it is ok, the waffles just aren't quite as chewy as they would be, however, they are still delicious :)

11. Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and place dough in the center of the iron. Let it cook for about 2 minutes. As you continue on with each waffle, the pearl sugar that sticks to the waffle iron does start to burn a little, so feel free to clean it our if you'd like!

I love it when I am able to find a new recipe that is so delicious, but also deceptively healthy! In one of my cooking classes at BYU we had a whole lesson on how to make recipes healthier by hiding vegetables in them without your children knowing. I thought the idea was genius and made sure to save all of those recipes for the future.

My good friend Becky made these carrot zucchini muffins and brought them to a dinner we were having with a group of friends from home. I loved them so much and was so surprised when she told me that there were carrots and zucchini in them. I am not one for zucchini, but you can't even taste it in these muffins. The hidden veggie trick obviously worked on me! I asked her for the recipe and thankfully she was more than willing to share it with me! I decided to make the recipe for the first time last week and see how my co-workers liked them, and they loved them! This recipe is definitely one to keep. Enjoy!

Cream oil and sugar. Slowly beat in vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add to oil; stir just to combine (it is going to be a weird consistency and you are going to think you did something wrong, but you didn't! Once you add the vegetables it turns into batter, don't worry!) Add zucchini and carrots. Bake 350° for 25 – 30 min. Makes about 24 muffins.

There is not really much to say about this recipe besides the fact that it is DELICIOUS. The cilantro-lime combination really makes this shrimp special. It is so simple, but so much better than just plain shrimp. Jordan even told me that this is one of his favorite meals that I have cooked for him so far!

I myself have not always had the best relationship with shrimp, but I have learned that as long as it is served hot I will eat it! We bought a one pound bag of shrimp and ate all of it in one sitting, and maybe in just 5 minutes too... Either the shrimp was ridiculously good or we were just really hungry, but I like to think it is because the shrimp was so good. Bon appetit!

Combine lime juice and zest, cilantro, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place thawed shrimp in bowl and coat evenly with lime juice mixture. Put in fridge and let marinate for 30 minutes. Place on skewers and grill for 5 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

On Monday I went to the farmer's market as part of my beginning of the week routine. I raced there because they closed at 6 and I had just barely got out of work at 5:40. I was so excited and relieved to see that not all the peaches had been bought that day! While I was picking out my bag of peaches I started chatting with one of the helpers and casually asked how much longer they were going to have peaches. You can understand that when she told me today was their last day for peaches, I was immediately filled with mixed emotions! I was completely HEARTBROKEN because I hated the idea that I wouldn't get to eat fresh peaches for a whole year, but so relieved that I made it on their last day! (I know I know, that's a lot of emotions for a fruit... but peaches are my favorite!)

Seeing as this was going to be my last batch of peaches for a while I decided to go big and make a peach pie. It was super rainy outside and you could feel the coolness of fall slowly creeping in. A hot pie was exactly what our home needed to warm things up! I decided to try a different crust recipe this time, and I really liked this one! It has a thicker crust, which I love, and it didn't get too crispy. Feel free to comment below or send me an email with any thoughts, questions, or recommendations regarding this recipe!

Using a fine mesh sifter, sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Place the butter AND shortening into the bowl and combine by squeezing the flour into the butter and shortening with your hands. As it begins to mix, pick of clumps of flour rub your hands together like you would when you are trying to warm up your hands. Continue to do this until the flour looks like course cornmeal. If there are larger pieces of butter still in the mix, that is ok! Add the cold water and knead the dough with your hands until it all comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead two or three more times on the counter top.

Divide the dough in half and shape them into two rounds. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or more. After the 30 minutes has passed, dust your counter top with flour and place one of the dough pieces into the flour bin itself and give it a good shake.

Then, place the dough on the counter and starting in the middle of the dough, roll away from you. Then starting again in the middle, roll towards you. Rotate the dough so that it is horizontal and roll with your pin, again, starting with the middle. Continue this process until the crust is 10 to 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Roll the dough lightly around the pin and place it into a 9 inch pie pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough with the same method.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the peaches for 20 to 30 seconds, some peaches may need a bit longer. Then, carefully remove the peaches from the pot and remove the skins. Slice them into halves, pit them, and then slice each peach half 3-4 more times depending on the size of the peach. In a large bowl combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice, nutmeg and peaches. Using your hands, gently fold the peaches into the sugar and spices. Once evenly spread, remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and place inside of the crust lined pie pan. Pour the remaining juice on top of the fruit and fill until it comes about 3/4 of the way up. If you do not have this much juice, that is ok!

Brush the edges of the bottom crust with milk to help the top crust attach. Trim off the excess crust and place your top layer of pie crust or cut into strips for a lattice top. Feel free to design this however you would like! Brush the top of the pie with milk and dust with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees fahrenheit and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the crust is brown. Remove and let cool, or serve hot with ice cream! Enjoy!

Jordan and I absolutely love having plants in our house. We feel like they make our small apartment feel much more like a home, so we are always on the lookout for a fun plant or herb! We were at the farmers market a few weeks ago and spotted rosemary plants being sold. With one look and a nod, we bought ourselves a rosemary plant. No words needed to be said, we both knew we wanted one. We have been searching for another herb to sit next to our basil plant, and rosemary seemed to be a great choice!

We have been letting our little plant grow and grow over the weeks, and it is finally big enough to use! Or at least big enough so when we use it, we don't have to use the whole plant. Jordan has been gone all weekend at dental school interviews, so I decided to make rosemary bread to pass the time. This recipe was shared with me by my wonderful sister-in-law and it is oh so delicious! I know a good chunk of this blog consists of breads, so I am sorry if the tan colors are getting old, but I just can't help it! They are too good. Enjoy!

DirectionsCombine yeast, sugar, and warm water in mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.

Place 2 1/4 cups flour and 1 tsp salt in large mixing bowl. Add in 1/2 of the rosemary and with mix until evenly combined.

Add yeast mixture and mix/knead until dough is smooth and elastic. If you are using a mixer it will take approximately 3-5 minutes. If you are kneading it yourself, knead for 8-10 minutes. At this point, you may need to add more flour. Only add a little at a time, and make sure to not exceed 3 cups. Once mixed, cover bowl and let dough rise for about 1 hour or until doubled.

In a large bowl, coat thinly with olive oil. Punch dough down and divide your dough into two pieces and place side by side in the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm area for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Once oven is heated, spray baking sheet or stone with cooking spray and shape the dough into two round loaves. Place on baking sheet. Using fingers, push down and make small wells in dough. This will allow the butter to gather here, making this bread so delicious!

Using a pastry brush, brush butter evenly over two loaves. Sprinkle remaining rosemary over each loaf and about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of course salt per loaf.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! PEACH SEASON! I am addicted to peaches.. All growing up we would get our peaches from "the peach man", as we liked to call him, and I would eat maybe 7 or 8 a day. Yep, you read that right. Seven or eight peaches A DAY! I am not exaggerating, you can ask my mother. I have had to learn some self control over the years due to the fact that I'm a dental assistant and now realize how bad too much acidic fruit is for your teeth. I now limit myself to just 2 or 3 a day (probably still too many) whenever it is peach season. It's been hard, but the bag of peaches lasts longer right?

Jordan is the best husband and figured out early on in our relationship how deep my love is for peaches. A few months into our marriage he picked me up from work and said, "I have a surprise for you." I immediately responded with, "Peaches??". He could not believe I knew what he got me. He was trying to surprise me! I guess I just have a sixth sense when it comes to peaches.

This week instead of just eating them all as usual, I decided to spare a few and make fruit leather. Jordan's sister gave us some apricot fruit leather last year and it was so delicious so we figured why not try and make fruit leather with peaches? This recipe uses just 4 ingredients and is very simple to make. We don't have a dehydrator so we just use our oven and it works great. Feel free to add in or switch out different types of fruit if you'd like!

DirectionsPreheat oven to 175 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or preferably a silicone baking mat.

Place peaches and strawberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat (just a little higher than medium actually). Add lemon juice, honey or agave nectar, and 1/2 cup water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove fruit mixture from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Place fruit mixture in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Pour the fruit mixture onto your lined baking sheet and with a spatula evenly spread to all corners of pan (about 1/4 inch thick).

Place baking sheets in oven and let cook for 6-8 hours.Depending on your oven, after 3 hours of baking, drizzle water along the edges if they are getting too dry already. Place back into oven for 3 more hours.

Bake until the center is slightly sticky. If you are worried about some parts baking faster than others, feel free to cut them off and stick the rest of the pan back in to cook longer. We had to do this a few times since our oven cooks so unevenly.

Cut into strips and roll them in parchment paper or plastic wrap to store. Enjoy!

I am pretty sure I have mentioned before that every Sunday, dinner was spent at my grandma's house. We would arrive at my grandma's right after church and claim our seats at the table, hoping to not be the one stuck at the bar all alone (sorry Joseph). While my brothers would break open the new bags of chips which always consisted of Cheetos or Doritos, I would fill all of the cups with ice. Once dinner was ready, we all would sit down and enjoy the feast that my grandma prepared. Butterbeans, field peas, fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, the list just keeps going on and on!

After dinner, my siblings and I would go outside and play. We'd jump on the trampoline, climb up the "bug tree", play crack the whip, and even make up games like chair ball (it's basically soccer but with your hands and the goals are chairs... Simple right?) These are precious memories to me. Once we got tired, we would come inside and my grandma would always have a treat for us. Whether it was a popsicle from the freezer that was always stocked, candy from the drawer that was always full, homemade popcorn, or my personal favorite, scones, my grandma knew how to keep us happy.

I absolutely love scones. Sprinkle them with a couple of layers (yes layers) of powdered sugar and I am happy. I started making these scones in college when I was home sick and they always made me feel better. Sure, maybe the comfort came from it being fried and covered in sugar, but who cares! I know you will enjoy these scones as much as I do, enjoy!

Dissolve sugar and salt in warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.

Add oil and flour to yeast mixture. Mix and knead until it is a smooth ball. You may need to add a little flour as you knead. Let rise until double in bulk, usually 30-45 minutes. Cover to rise with a cloth.

Pinch off a piece of dough and shape it into a scone, or any shape for that matter. The crazier, the more fun to eat! Put scone into a pot of hot oil. You know it is ready to fry when you sprinkle water on the oil and it starts to pop. Let fry on one side for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, jam, or syrup and enjoy!

*I usually half the recipe when I am cooking for just Jordan and myself.

GI-ROWS, get your GI-ROWS! Does anybody else struggle with how to say the name of these correctly? I can't help but want to say GI-ROWS instead of making it sound like EUROS. Jordan has had to correct me a couple times on the pronunciation, but I think saying GI-ROWS is more fun so I think I'll just keep it that way.

Last year at our annual Girl's Weekend, I had gyros for the first time. Now this experience was quite monumental for me because it was the first time I tried AND enjoyed pita bread. You guys have no idea how big of a step for me pita bread was... I'm a texture person and something about the texture of this bread just rubbed me the wrong way, but now I'm over it! Sadly, I was a little fearful of the tzatziki sauce and did not try it (boy was I missing out!). However, I am proud to say that a whole year later, I now eat gyros with both the pita bread and tzatziki sauce!

This recipe was shared with me by my mother-in-law and is great to whip up when you know lunches are going to be a little crunched on time during the busy work week. I make a batch of the chicken and tzatziki sauce at the beginning of the week and have lunch for a couple of days. I usually rush home to make lunch, that way I save money (and health) by not going out to eat every day, and preparing this ahead of time has helped me have a more relaxing lunch break. Here's to overcoming my picky palate just one texture at a time!

Chop cucumber in a food processor. Remove as much excess water as possible by wrapping cucumber in a paper towel and squeezing a couple of times. Combine chopped cucumber with yogurt, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and then place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare chicken by combining garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until evenly mixed. Slice chicken into strips prior to adding to marinade. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Drain a little bit of the excess marinade and then place in skillet. Cook until chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove from pan and let cool for about 5 minutes.

To make the acai smoothie, combine acai juice and frozen fruit in a blender. Blend until smooth. Place in bowl and set aside, but not for too long or it will begin to melt.

Now begins the fun part! You decide however much fruit, granola, coconut, and honey that you want! I personally love a lot of fruit so I cut up about 4 strawberries and half of a banana for my bowl.

Feel free to change out the fruit for whatever fruit you like! I'm sure blueberries and raspberries would be just as delicious. Enjoy the acai bowls and let me know what you think!

It is 100 degrees outside and boiling hot!! Summer is officially here and I am dreading it a little bit more than I would like to just because of the heat. My sister, Cory, and I are relaxing and enjoying our day off of school and work together by keeping indoors. Netflix just put out Cadet Kelly, yes the Disney Channel movie with Hilary Duff, so we decided to relive the glory days of the early 2000s and watch it. Sure we're 23 years old, but we don't care! #1 Hilary fans right here.

Cory studied at BYU-Hawaii for her freshman year of college and when we skyped she would often talk about the amazing acai berry bowls that they had on Oahu. She was craving one today, so we decided to make our own! These acai bowls are so delicious, refreshing, and SO fast to put together! Acai berry is so delicious, especially when you add it to granola and tons of fruit. Enjoy!

I love PF Changs... it truly is a weakness of mine. Sure it is a chain restaurant, but I don't care! I can't deny their beef with broccoli! I remember going to PF Changs for the first time in 5th grade for a friend's birthday party. We had just gone to Build-A-Bear so I was obviously already having the best day of my life. Lunch time then came and we were taken to PF Changs. My little 10 year old self made the very wise and life changing decision to try the beef with broccoli. From that moment on, for thirteen years, I never got anything else at PF Changs. I'm being serious! Ok, that is up until a couple months ago. (I'm pretty sure I have mentioned a couple times that when I find a food that I love, I tend to obsess about it... Well that's how PF Changs beef with broccoli is for me.)

Anyways, the one thing that I constantly heard good reviews about are their chicken lettuce wraps. A few months ago I decided to loosen the reigns of my beef with broccoli, just this once, and get the lettuce wraps. They were super good! But here's the thing, so are these ones and you don't have to pay big bucks to get them! Big bucks being like $9 when making them at home is half that. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did tonight!

Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.

Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.

Keep oil in the pan, keep hot. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas (you can use a food processor to make this a quick process!) . Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to pan. Add stir fry sauce to pan, saute mixture a couple minutes then serve in lettuce leaves.

Author

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Chrissy, a southern girl from North Carolina, recent college graduate, dental assistant, wife, mother-to-be, and a new lover of all things food. There was a time when I was just a "plain noodles" kind of girl, but since taking up cooking I have come leaps and bounds and I am continuously expanding my picky palate through experimentation in the kitchen. I am excited to share with you my favorite recipes that I discover on this food journey of mine.